Generation 1:9 Update
We recently moved our youth services from Sunday morning to Sunday night. We abandoned the Sunday morning youth services for 2 reasons.
1. We believed we could make a bigger impact and reach more teenagers with the gospel by establishing an autonomous worship experience designed for Junior High and High School students. And we have!
Our attendance has grown. Previously, we averaged around 75-85 in attendance on Sunday mornings and now we are seeing 120-135 students attend on any given Sunday night. Spiritually, we are making HUGE strides. Our students are excited to worship God (as opposed to some youth groups I’ve seen who stand around and talk during worship), they are listening and responding to the messages, they are coming HUNGRY! Our small group breakout sessions had some hiccups in the beginning, but lately we’ve been seeing tremendous spiritual transparency and openness to growth in our groups, too! Overall, we are experiencing a remarkable move of God in our youth ministry.
2. We wanted to see our teenagers integrated with our Sunday morning worship experience. And they are! Not just attending, but involved. Active. Serving. Our students to take ownership in Hope Chapel. At Hope Chapel, we don’t just have a youth ministry, we ARE a youth ministry. Teenagers love and look forward to Sunday mornings. There are more than 40 students who are serving in various environments on Sunday mornings. You may see teenagers at the road waving at cars when you drive in, they may be at the front door waiting for your arrival so they can greet you with a smile, and many of them are working as volunteers with our children and toddlers in Hope Zone (Kids Ministry). Our students love Hope Chapel!
Since we began this new format in October, we’ve seen more than 15 students saved and more than 30 have been baptized! It’s crazy! And get this. The best stuff hasn’t even happened yet! God has so much MORE in store for us over the next year! Don’t get comfortable, get ready!
MORE is coming!
